Norwegian band Ricochets follow up The Ghost of our Love, rough edges and all, with a new instalment that reveals there has been some fine-tuning way up North, particularly in the studio but perhaps more so in the song-writing department. That said, Isolation still boasts the melodic twist of (although not as strong as) its predecessor, but there is a heavy hint of polish throughout. A good example of this is the title track, delicate in places but openly riding along a sing-along stomp and matching chorus while, on another level, the opening track, Cold Outside, oozes all the right ingredients to retain Ricochets’ alternative credibility and appeal.

Equally important is the distinct distance that the band has maintained from its pre-Ghost preference, venturing deeper into alternative terrain and drawing from a number of similarly inclined sources for direction. This time around - in the space of nine songs and way under the traditional 40 minutes – Ricochets deliver an album that may require more than one spin to impart a lasting memory, possibly in an effort to retrace Ghost’s blend of mainstream sheen and alt-rock clout and reapply it in different measures - hopefully a move that will finally give the band the breakthrough it deserves!

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